Freezing device



R. S. GAUGLER FREEZING DEVICE Oct. 14, 1952 2 bHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Sept. 17, 1949 v iiiu IN V EN TOR.

8 4 a; a n 5 W 0 e m M W K 1 PMW Oct. 14, 1952 R. s. GAUGLER FREEZING DEVICE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Sept. 17, 1949 INVENTOR. Fla/n20 5. GAUGLER.

BY W HIS A 770 E/YEY'S.

Patented Qct. 14, 1952' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE t r I 2,613,512 I FREEZlNG DEVICE Richard S. 'Gaugler, Dayton, Ohio,- assign'or to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application September 17, 1949, Serial No. 116,293

This invention relates to freezing devices of the ice tray and grid type employed in freezing compartments of household refrigerators.

7 An object of my invention is to provide a freezing device comprising a tray and a grid for the production of sticks of ice as distinguished from devices wherein ice blocks or'ice cubes are formed. Another object of my invention is to provide an ice stick freezing device which is'relatively shallow and which permits two such devices to be placed one on top of the other to occupy the space ordinarily taken up by a single device of the type wherein ice cubes or ice blocks are formed.

A further object of my invention is to provide aunitary structure comprising a cover for a tray and walls depending from the cover to form a gridfor dividing" the interior of the tray into ice stick-forming compartments and which structure is molded from a somewhat flexible butself-sustaining plastic material as distinguished from structures molded from flexible rubber or similar material; r

' A still further object of my inventionis to provide a combined cover and grid unit for an ice tray with means which, when the unit is placed into association" with a tray; will establish a predetermined level of a body of water in the tray so as to prevent the freezing water from expandingagainst the underside of the cover and moving 'the grid upwardly of the tray during the freezing period.

A-more specific object of my invention is to provide a pocket beneath the top of a combined tray cover and grid-unit whereby when the tray is filled with'water and the unit placed into association therewith air trapped in the pocket will cause excessive water in the tray to overflow the walls thereof. Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following invention, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawingswherein a preferred form of the presentinvention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig.1 is a top plan view'of my improved freezing device;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the device shown in Fig. 1;.

Fig. 3is a view taken upwardly from the bottom of a combined cover and grid unit of the device;

- Fig.4 is a transverse vertical sectional view of my device taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, showing water in the tray thereof; Fig. 5 is arlongitudinal' verticalse'ctional view 2 Claims. (Cl. 62-1085) of my device taken on the line 5-5 0f Fig. 1;

showing ice sticks formed therein;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 6-5 of Fig. 4 showing a lever attached to the tray of the device;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, showing the levermoved into a position to elevate th'e'gr-id unit relative to the tray; and

Fig. 8 is a view showing the tray in section and illustrating the grid unitin a flexed position.

Referring to the drawings, for illustrating my invention, I have shown in Figs. 1 and 2 thereof a freezing device generally represented by the reference character [0 for containing water and adapted to be placed in the freezing compartment of an evaporator of a household refrigerator cabinet. The device I0 comprises a one-piece or combined cover and grid unit II and a shallow metal tray l2 with which the unit I I is associated. The device 10 is relatively short in height and one device may be supported upon another device and yet not occupy any more space in an evaporator than former devices wherein ice cubes or ice blocks were formed. As hereinbefore stated the unit H is molded in one piece from any suitable moldable plastic compoundhaving' the desired characteristics as distinguished from stretchable rubber material. 'Moldable plastic compounds suitable for use in the making of the present cover and grid unit have as their main ingredient a material now known to provide a molded surface which is waterrepellant. Water will not adhere to such surfaces and the frozen bond between the ice and its contacting walls is a mechanical bond rather than a bond dueto adherence between molecules. Obviously such surfaces greatly facilitate loosening of a grid from ice in a device of the type disclosed. Thus the present combined cover and grid unit is molded from polymerized ethylene material com monly called polyethylene and known to the trade as Polythene.

The structure of unit I 1 comprises a coverportion I 4 and integral walls I5 depending therefrom see Figs. 3 and 5) and extending in continuously spaced apart relation transversely across the shallow tray l2 to divide the interior thereof into aplurality of relatively long, narrow compartments [1 for the formation of ice sticks. Each of the walls I5 is tapered in cross-section by being thicker at its upper portion than at its lower edge, which abuts the bottom wall [6 of tray [2. The peripheral edges of cover portion I4 of unit ll overlap and rest on the top of upright walls I8 of tray I2. Unit II is also provided with a tapered wall or bead I9 depending from the cover portion I4 thereof and extending continuously around the sides of the unit. This continuous wall or bead I9 lies along the inner side of upright walls I8 of tray I2 and terminates a short distance below the top of these tray walls (see Figs. 4 and 5). The space between the bottom edge of bead I9 and the underside of cover I4 forms a pocket (see Fig. 4), the purpose of which will be described hereinafter.

Upright walls I8 of tray I2 are bent or rolled over, as at 2|, to form a, rim around the tray and this rolled-over wall portion at the front of the tray has a lever 26 secured thereto. Lever 26 is U-shaped and each leg 21 thereof is pivotally mounted, as by studs 28 (see Figs. 2 and 4) to the rolled-over side wall part 2| of the rim of tray I2 adjacent the front thereof. The lever 26 includes cam portions 29 for engaging the tray freezing support and breaking the tray therefrom. The legs 21 of the U-shaped lever 26 terminate in cam-like ends 3| (see Figs. 6 and 7). A slot 32 is cut out of the top of the rim of tray .I2 (see Figs. 6 and 7) to permit the cam ends 3| on lever 26 to engage the underside of the overlapped edge portions of cover I4 of unit I I. After the tray I2 is held over a sink and filled with water or other liquid to be frozen the combined cover and grid unit II is moved over the tray and lowered into place therein. The walls or partitions I5 settle into the water in tray I2 until their lower edge strikes the bottom bead I6 of the tray. The continuous wall I9, extending entirely around the unit I tends to guide the unit into place within tray I2. During lowering or settling of unit II into the tray the pocket, formed between the lower edge of bead I9 and the underside of cover portion I4, traps air therein when the bottom edge of bead I9 engages the body of water in the tray, and this trapped body of air forces excessive water from the tray. Thus the air pocket serves to establish a level of water in the tray substantially at a height therein corresponding to the location of the bottom edge of continuous bead I9 as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Therefore each ice stick-forming compartment I1 is provided with a space between the level of the body of water in the tray and the underside of cover I4 which permits expansion of the ice, upon freezing of the water, upwardly without moving the combined cover and grid unit II upwardly of tray I2. It should be apparent therefore that the continuous bead I9 of unit II serves the double function of guiding the unit I I into its proper location within tray I2 and of causing any excessive water in the tray to overflow walls thereof before the freezing device is placed in a compartment of an evaporator.

After water in the device In has been frozen, the frozen mass being divided by walls I5 of unit II into a plurality of relatively long, narrow ice sticks, the ice sticks may be harvested therefrom. The lever 26 is moved downwardly thus rotating the same about its pivotable mountings 28 whereupon cams 29 are forced against the evaporator tray support to elevate the entire device It! relative thereto- Further downward movement of lever 26 causes cam ends 3| thereon to pass through the slot 32 in the rim of tray I2 (see Fig. 7) to engage the underside of the edge of cover I4 of unit II and thereby raise the unit II upwardly of tray I2. Here it may be pointed out, that the character of the metal of tray I2 and/or the finish placed thereon are the determining factors as to whether or not the ice sticks 6 will be elevated relative to tray I2 along with unit I I or if they will remain bonded to walls of the tray when unit I I is raised relative thereto. It being understood that either method of harvesting the ice sticks 36 is satisfactory and that such difference may hinge upon whether or not the metal tray walls are plated or waxed-as-is conventional in the art. While I have'shown'. the front end of unit II elevated relative to tray I2 in Fig. 7 of the drawings, it is to be understood that the unit II is relatively stiff as long as its walls I5 contact the ice sticks 36 and therefore unit rises upwardly along its entire length into an inclined position with respect to tray I2. After unit I I is elevated or broken away from tray I2 in the manner described, then both ends of unit I I may be grasped by the hands and further elevated while at the same time bowing or twisting the same to either remove unit II from the ice sticks 36 bonded to the tray or to remove the ice sticks 36 from unit II whereupon they willffall into the tray, as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings. The bowing, twisting or flexing of unit I I will not, due to the characteristics of the material from which it is molded or formed, hinder or destroy its property of springing back to its original or proper shape for insertion in or association with the tray I2.

From the foregoing it should be apparent "that I have made an improvement in freezing devices of the type in which small relatively long ice sticks, suitable to be placed in drinking glasses, are formed. My combined cover and grid structure prevents foreign matter from entering the tray, particularly during defrosting of the evaporator with which it is associated, and prevents water contained in the tray from absorbing odors of food stored in the food compartment of a r'efrigerator cabinet. 'Moreover I have provided in my improved device a means which actsto guide the combined cover and grid unit into the tray'a's' well as to cause excessive water in thetray to overflow walls thereof so that the combined unit will remain in its proper positionin the tray during freezing of water therein. In addition, my. improved device is of small vertical dimension and one such device may be supported on top of the other so as to occupy substantially the same height in a compartment of an evaporator of a refrigerating system as a single heretofore employed.

While the form of embodiment of the invention asherein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, as may come within the scope of the claims which follow. a

What is claimed is as follows: v

1. In combination, an ice tray, a one-piece flexible grid capable of being manually distorted disposed in said tray and'removable therefrom as a unit, said grid havingan imperforate cover portion extending over said tray; said grid; also having a plurality of walls depending fromsaid cover portion thereof and extendingin continuous spaced apart substantially parallel' relation transversely across said tray, the spacing of 'said grid walls together with their cooperation-with the bottom and side walls of said tray dividing the interior of the tray into long relatively narrow unobstructed ic'e'stick forming compartments extending from one side wallto the opposite side wall of the tray, said grid being provided. with a bead depending from said cover portion thereof spaced inwardly from thesides offsaid grid and device of the type extending continuously therearound, said continuous bead lying along the inner side of upright walls of said tray and terminating a short distance below the top of said tray walls, said bead on said grid cooperating with said cover portion thereof to form a pocket therebelow, and the edge of said bead adjacent said upright tray walls being spaced therefrom to permit, while placing said grid in said tray, excessive liquid in the tray to overflow said upright tray walls.

2. In combination, an ice tray, a one-piece flexible grid capableof being manually distorted disposed in said tray and removable therefrom as a unit, said grid having an imperforate cover portion extending over said tray, said grid also having a plurality of walls depending from said cover portion thereof and extending in continuous spaced apart substantially parallel relation transversely across said tray, the spacing of said grid walls together with their cooperation with the bottom and side walls of said tray dividing the interior of the tray into long relatively narrow unobstructed ice stick forming compartments extending from one side wall to the opposite side wall of the tray, said grid being provided with a bead depending from said cover portion thereof spaced inwardly from the sides of said grid and extending continuously therearound, said conuous bead lying along the inner side of upright walls of said tray and terminating a short distance below the top of said tray walls to form a pocket beneath said cover portion of said grid 6 below the uppermost portion of said tray upright walls, at least one of the upright tray Walls being bent to form a rim along the top thereof, an opening in said rim, an edge of said cover portion of said grid overlapping at least the rim at the top of said one upright tray wall, and manually operated means carried by said tray and having a portion thereof movable through the opening in said tray rim to engage the underside of said overlapping edge of the cover portion of said grid for elevating the grid relative to said tray.

RICHARD S. GAUGLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,825,916 Mock Oct. 6, 1931 1,873,508 Tanger Aug. 23, 1932 1,943,466 West Jan. 16, 1934 2,049,902 Fischer Aug. 1936 2,049,934 Witherspoon Aug. 4, 1936 2,063,100 Johnsen Dec. 8, 1936 2,069,195 Chilton Feb. 2, 1937 2,190,610 Reeves Feb. 13, 1940 2,351,742 Buchanan June 20, 1944 2,386,979 Rundell 1. Oct. 16, 1945 2,466,747 Siebigteroth Apr. 12, 1949 2,503,306 Storer Apr. 11, 1950 

